Conservative Party

OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proved one thing over the weekend: he won’t be defined by anyone’s narrative but his own.

For weeks, a debate has been swirling in Ottawa. Fuelled by media, pundits, and unnamed sources, questions have been asked about the need for a so-called “pivot” away from core issues, like axing the carbon tax, and toward a narrative that more directly confronts the existential threat American President Donald Trump poses to the Canada-United States relationship.

OTTAWA—Pivot? What pivot?

That was the message Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre projected Saturday at a patriotic, campaign-style rally that framed the Conservatives as the party of “Canada First.”

In doing so, Poilievre rejected the notion that his party was officially abandoning its relentless crusade against the “carbon tax” to take on the more immediate threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Instead, he suggested protecting Canada’s interests has been his core message all along.

OTTAWA – The Conservatives’ favourite slogan — “axe the tax” — has been a rallying cry for the better part of three years as frustrated Canadians looked for relief from the rising cost of living.
But now, with key Liberal leadership candidates backing away from the federal consumer carbon price, some have been asking whether the Tories need to axe their slogan as well.

On Saturday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre put the speculation to rest.

With his unapologetic conservatism, his vow to fix a “broken” nation, his “common sense” fight against elites and all things woke, his norm-shattering personal attacks against political rivals, his pugilistic use of demeaning nicknames and his open disdain of the news media, Pierre Poilievre, the front-runner to become Canada’s next leader, has become a darling of the American right.

Some of President Trump’s most prominent supporters have publicly showered Mr. Poilievre, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, with compliments — a remarkable feat given that Canadian opposition leaders tend to attract little attention in the United States, much less praise.

OTTAWA — As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vows to carry his crusade against the carbon tax into the next election, Canadians still need to hear more from him, say some of his supporters.

Standing outside the Ottawa convention centre, National Post spoke with nearly 20 of his supporters and others who stood in line to waiting to see Poilievre speak at his “Canada First” rally Saturday, some of whom were unable to get inside and told the event was at capacity.

OTTAWA — Canada’s Conservative leader used a rally in Ottawa on Saturday to deliver a message to Donald Trump. “Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state,” said Pierre Poilievre, warning that he is prepared to defend Canadians against the president at all costs.

“We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,” he said.

Surrounded by hundreds of supporters wearing red and white, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre firmly repudiated U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st state threats and said Canada “will bear any burden” to protect its sovereignty during a rally in Ottawa.

“Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become. The unjustified threats of tariffs and 51st statehood of Donald Trump have united our people to defend the country we love,” Poilievre said.

Conservatives MPs are targeting Liberal leadership front-runner Mark Carney, accusing the former central banker of being an elitist who is out of touch with the concerns of working Canadians.

Heading into a caucus meeting Friday, the MPs took aim at Mr. Carney, seeking to link him to unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“He lives in a completely different world. He doesn’t buy groceries in tough neighbourhoods or take public transit,” Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told reporters.

New CPC ad on Carbon Tax Carney pic.twitter.com/al6Pz81YYv

— HoCStaffer (@HoCStaffer) January 16, 2025

Conservatives take aim at Carney in new ad as Liberals appear to narrow polling gap

OTTAWA — “Canada First” is Pierre Poilievre’s new pitch to Canadians. But it also represents the firsts the Conservative leader himself has been navigating in the past few weeks.

It’s the first time as leader that he has faced off against the Liberals without Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planning to run in the next election.

OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday that he would massively cut foreign aid to pay for a new military base in the Arctic, two new heavy icebreakers and double the number of Canadian Rangers who patrol the north where China and Russia are seen as a growing strategic threat.

The promises were part of a new plan to bolster Canada’s military presence in the Arctic, which Poilievre pledged to pay for through deep — but unspecified — cuts to the current Liberal government’s foreign assistance budget.

“We’ve got enough problems at home. We’ve got our own backyard to protect. We can’t be sending billions of dollars to other places, often … much of it is wasted, and stolen and swallowed up by bureaucracies that act against our interests,” Poilievre told reporters in Iqaluit.

Pierre Poilievre has become a lightning rod for Canadians’ frustration, and for those seeking cathartic release from simply being a Canadian — whatever that means, what with our ongoing national identity crisis — in 2025.

Outside of the Vancouver Wall Centre on the night of Feb. 4, a small crowd of pro-Palestine protesters, including one with a “Queers for Palestine” flag draped on their back, huddled and shouted in the snowy, -6C air. Poilievre was there to speak to a crowd of Conservative party donors inside. Clusters of Vancouver police officers in high-visibility vests kept the disruption outdoors.

The Conservative Party’s upcoming rally in Ottawa is expected to serve as a major rebranding effort, shifting the focus from “Axe the Tax” to “Canada First,” and is anticipated to act as an unofficial launch of the next election campaign, say some senior Conservatives.

“This is the launch of a different branding that we’re going towards,” a top Conservative told The Hill Times. “It’s a different campaign. It is a major shift. We’ve been testing new messaging because the problem with the carbon tax election is that it may not be relevant in a couple of weeks.”